The Flight
by Jason Barnett
Summary: On his way back to England Giles meets Whistler


The Flight  
  
Disclaimer: All character withn this story are the property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.  
  
Giles was startled from his reading by a man plopping down beside his seat on the plane. Which was odd since this flight wasn't sold out and there had been no one sitting there beforehand.   
  
"Takes a brave man to fly these days."  
  
Giles didn't wish to be drawn into a conversation about the evils of humanity when he spent so much time dealing with the evils of the demon world, so he decided to end it quickly. He gave his best Ripper grin, slipped into his lower class accent and declared, "No need to worry, anyone's stupid enough to try anything on this flight I'll turn the whole lot of 'em into rats." 'There that should teach this fellow not to bother a total stranger with inane chit-chat.'  
  
He was surprised himself, when the garishly dressed man just chuckled at the comment. "And here I thought almost all you Sunnydalers had given up magic so you could act morally superior to the few who kept doing it. How're you doing Giles, I'm Whistler. By the way, reversing those type spells, visualization works great. You might want to tell Willow that next time you talk to her."  
  
"The demon who sent Angel to Sunnydale and spoke with Buffy before she faced Angelus?"  
  
"That's me. I need to talk with you."  
  
"Ah, yes, you do seem to show up whenever people change location. So tell me, why didn't you bother Buffy before she moved to Sunnydale?"  
  
"I was helping Angel get set up and into fighting shape before she showed. You know the Powers are pretty divided on your trip back home. There was talk about cancelling this flight."  
  
"And just how would they go about doing that?"  
  
"They're the Powers, do you think they can't just whip up some bad weather or mechanical failure?"  
  
"That's a good point, I suppose. What's the division about, and why are they considering keeping me from making my own decisions?"  
  
"Well, some of them are very against you leaving the Slayer right now, but others want you back in England so you can start straightening out the Council."  
  
"I'd have thought the Powers That Be would've washed their hands of the Council. I know I intend to once I finish my last business with them."  
  
"If that's your plan, then get your ass back to Sunnydale and your kids NOW."  
  
"My kids? I think you're overestimating my importance, just a bit."  
  
"You were like a father to Buffy, Willow and Xander. Dawn has the memories but has never actually met Hank Summers face to face. Hells, your favorite "what if" fantasy thing was wondering what might've happened if you met Joyce when you really were younger and gotten involved with her, so you definitely wanted to be a father to her. Not that she would've been the same girl, of course. But they could use your guidance right now."  
  
"Buffy will never relearn how to stand on her own if I'm there all the time. Or do the Powers have a problem with that?"  
  
"No, sink or swim is a perfectly reasonable way to handle these things. It's a dangerous way but it's reasonable. But your job isn't done. Do you know how bad the Council has gotten? If there's anyone competent to do the job you all have to, we set things up to get them fired as quickly as possible."  
  
"So I have to keep dealing with those pompous idiots in the Council? Damn."  
  
"Don't want to talk about them, huh? Well, you dealt with them in the past so I think you know how to handle them. Just remember, you're their link to the Slayer so they need you more than you need them. Now, let's move onto the Scooby Gang. I assume you're going to keep in contact. Any particular plans?"  
  
"Well, I've informed Buffy she may call me collect when she needs to. I've warned Spike off of her enough I hope."  
  
"Don't bother with that relationship. It'll come to be if it's meant to be, but let me be clear about something. Spike was willing to stake Drusilla for her. This is not Angel all over again. You saw what he acted like without his memory. He's an ordinary guy now."  
  
"So we're just supposed to forget everything he's done and accept him?"  
  
"You're supposed to forgive, not forget. I know you have trouble with the concept. You're the ones that screwed up Buffy and Angel's relationship bigtime. If that'd worked I'd have gotten a big promotion."  
  
"He was a demon."  
  
"With a soul. Angelus was a killer, but the soul of Liam O'Roarke was a good if a bit angry man. You as good guys are supposed to be all about redemption, forgiveness and understanding. Instead you drove him away As for Spike, he's smart. Once he realized he could beat up other demons he could've taken over a nest of vampires and made them work for him. He kept working with you guys, except for one small relapse. And that was before he loved Buffy and Dawn was around for him to treat like a little sister. "  
  
"Well, I'm sorry we all can't be characters in some bloody book, noble heroes who forget the crimes against us at the drop of a hat."  
  
"I told you you're not supposed to forget, you're supposed to forgive. It's for the sake of the person who needs forgiving. And it's been a few million drops of the hat and most of you all haven't made peace with Angel, yet."  
  
"I'd rather not talk about him."  
  
"I'm sure, and I'm not here to either, but if I was you had better believe you'd listen. Next up, Dawn. She needs to be treated like an ordinary teenager, that's all."  
  
Giles nodded his head to that comment. There was no question about that, and little else to be said.  
  
"Xander and Anya. Xander's the sanest and most well balanced of the bunch. Not much to say about him. Just a bit of personal advice. When he calls for your advice, remind him you're not a family man. Not as an excuse, but just a reminder that in some areas you've got no more experience than him. And remind Anya several times a conversation that some things in that store of yours are not for sale."  
  
"Believe me I intend to. Do you really think Xander would ask me for advice about family?"  
  
"You're the only positive male role model he's got."  
  
"True."  
  
"Now, Tara. I don't know if you've noticed, but she hasn't cast a spell in a long time. After growing up with the supernatural, after believing she was part demon, she's suddenly terrified of magic. She needs to get back into it. Maybe send her one of your books from your home collection. Tell her it made you think of her. Or do you know any good shrinks that know about magic? She could do herself some good talking to them, plus Amy Madison might need one after spending several years as a rat. Plus her mother. The root of sanity didn't take hold in that family tree."  
  
"I had noticed Tara's lack of magical action recently. I merely thought it was her growing up, no longer needing the arts to express herself. Unlike Willow, who's abandoned her past interests and immersed herself in magic."  
  
"Yeah, because rebuilding a robot doesn't involve dealing with computer technology at all. I'm glad you've brought her up because I've got some harsh words involving the Willow situation."  
  
"Yes, I know I've failed rather pathetically allowing her to become involved in the dark arts."  
  
"Wrong!"  
  
Giles stared at Whistler incredulously, "So it's good she's involved in the dark arts?"  
  
"Wrong!"  
  
"What the bloody hell are you talking about? How can both of those be wrong?"  
  
"Because she's not involved in the dark arts! I can't believe you need this lecture but you do. Let's start off. What types of magic are there?"  
  
"The White arts and the Dark or Black arts."  
  
"No. There's a lot more. There's demon magic, which we don't need to talk about, because if you've got more than one human in your family tree for seven or eight generations the demon blood isn't strong enough, anymore. There's also good magic and evil magic, the white and dark kinds you mentioned. Quick, give me an example of each."  
  
The demon's manner, the worst aspects of teacher and quiz show hosts put together, were grating on the Watcher's nerves. "Perhaps, Willow's telekinesis spells and her erasing Tara's memory, in that order."  
  
"Wrong again. You're really off your game today. Two examples are the Circle of Kayliss, used to bind demons, and creating the Mark of Eyghon, to bind a demon to human flesh."  
  
Mentions of those two spells brought back memories of Jenny Calender and he was unable to muster a response.  
  
"The stuff you mentioned is neutral magic. Anyone can use it if they have the talent and the end result is affected only by their emotions and intentions. Willow using it on Tara worked fine because she was trying to solve a problem. On Buffy it was screwed up because she felt guilty about it."  
  
"Which she should have."  
  
"No she shouldn't have. The human mind isn't meant to hold the knowledge Buffy has, which is why she remembers it only vaguely. And Buffy wouldn't be back if she wasn't allowed. People don't get resurrected as true humans unless the Powers want them to be. We even helped her find the Urn of Osiris so she could do the spell."  
  
"Anya said she found it on E-bay."  
  
"Whch was the best idea we ever had. The good guys are limited in the way they acquire things. This makes it a lot easier."  
  
"So Buffy was supposed to come back."  
  
"If Faith hadn't gone bad, then no. But with the Slayer the line rests with in prison, the balance needed her."  
  
"I've heard of this balance before. Why is it so important?"  
  
"We've, that's guys like me, have two standing orders. I don't know from who, it's Bill Gates and I'm the guy hired five minutes ago in the mailroom that's how far above me it is. The rules are continue life and make it worth living. If there's no struggle things become stagnant, and if bad guys win then they'll wipe out everything including themselves. So we have the balance. It might not be the best thing in creation, but it works fairly well."  
  
"You'll forgive me if I don't think that something that allows so many human deaths is so great."  
  
"I understand. Now back to the magic lesson. And since we were talking about the balance it segues perfectly. The last one is balance magic. People assume it's bad because it has consequences, but it has consequences so both sides are even. You've seen two examples. Jonathan's superstar spell. It turned him into a warrior so great that evil had to get one to tie the score. And Willow's resurrection spell which brought Buffy back. And since a Slayer is by definition a warrior and there already was one, evil had to get something to even things up."  
  
"So Willow hasn't done anything bad."  
  
"Screwing with your lover's head is never good. But the only time her magic screws up is when she's feeling guilty or unsure. That's what you're doing to her. Buffy declared her her big gun, and now you're condemning her for trying to get the power and focus to live up to that title. You know Willow and Tara's fight can be traced back to you."  
  
"It can?"  
  
"Willow would've done a tracking spell instead of that dimension shifting thing, if you hadn't chided her for thinking of back tracking the M'Fashnik demon with one. Tara wouldn't have had such a problem with that spell. Between you and me, that spell is the most worthless one around, if you blink you have to recast it."  
  
"So Willow is in no danger?" Giles asked hopefully. Willow was one of the brightest, friendliest people he'd ever met. He didn't want to see her corrupted by her own power.  
  
"She is. Power does corrupt. But you all are isolating her. She's starting to feel like she has nothing but her magic. All that girl's ever really wanted is love; she's had few friends, and her parents were the type who always thought it was better to let her make her own decisions. If she meets the wrong person offering it she might fall. And while she's bright, with the attitudes you've shown towards people reforming in the past she might feel she reached a point of no return before it actually happened."  
  
Giles took the information in. "How do you know this anyway? The personal parts, not all of it, I realize you would have access to some information."  
  
"I do my homework. The way I research I'd fit right in with you all." He got up like he was heading for the bathroom. "By the way, Jenny sends her love and Joyce says hello."  
  
"You've seen them? How? Why?"  
  
"Jenny works as a messenger now. But she's never been to Sunnydale because the First Evil wore her face and everything she said would have to be taken with a grain of salt. And I talked to Joyce when Buffy was resurrected. She wanted to make sure her daughter was all right."  
  
"Please return the greeting, and let Jenny know I miss her every day."  
  
"I will." Whistler left and didn't return. Giles could only assume some power, his own or that from above that allowed him to depart a plane in flight.  
  
The End 


End file.
